


The Arrangement

by Jimfinitemoriarty



Category: Adventure Time
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Romance, slight angst, smut in future
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-16
Updated: 2017-12-29
Packaged: 2018-01-04 18:22:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1084206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jimfinitemoriarty/pseuds/Jimfinitemoriarty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In order to create and keep peace between the Candy Kingdom and the Nightosphere, Prince Gumball has agreed with his council to an arranged marriage. But, the heir of Hanna Abadeer is not who Barnaby expected, no, not at all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Start of it All

The Candy Kingdom was a bright and sugary land with it's citizens quite content with being civil and minding their business. In the center of this was the castle of which their leader, Prince Barnaby Gumball, resided.

* * *

 

He truly loved his kingdom and people, which is why he was agreeing to this in the first place. He repeated that as a mantra for a few moments, until his council sent him off to plan renovations for his room.

As he began going through his wardrobe for things he could discard for space, a familiar blonde bounced into the room without knocking. Trailing behind her was her faithful companion, Cake.

"Oh! Hello, Fionna." He nodded towards her in acknowledgement, then went back to what he had been doing.

"H-hey, man." She blushed slightly. "Whatcha up to?"

"Spring cleaning, so to speak." He said.  "I've to make room for another wardrobe." He sighed, stopping and pulling her over to sit down on his bed with him. "Fionna..I'm to be married soon." After a rather long silence, Barnaby cleared his throat. "Ahem."

"What the lumpin' math?! But.. why? I mean.." Fi had her self flustered to the brim, caught between jealousy and a reminder that she had a certain flame boy to worry about, not Gumball.

"I have to, for the best interest of my people. They need to be assured that peace will always live in our land. Unfortunately, it hasn't for the past few weeks. Creatures from the Nightosphere have been attacking my citizens, so the council has decided on me marrying to ward them off."

"Who is it?" She asked, her stomach flipping for some reason. This topic gave her a weird feeling. Cake must of agreed, for her hair stood on all ends, seemingly alert.

"The only heir of Ms. Hanna Abadeer. She is a very ruthless woman, so I imagine my advisors believe me and her child's marriage will strike fear into the hearts of many evil doers." The prince grinned and stood, unaware of the adventuress' jaw dropping.

"I bet she'll be stunning. A true beauty, as people tell me her mother is." He grabbed the royal marriage license and folded it, placing it carefully into a manilla folder within his satchel.

"Oh,  _he_ certainly thinks so." She muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing..I j-just said I think I should go! Yes, that'd be best. I mean Flame Prince is probably looking for me. Uh..BYE!" She ran out, Cake in her arms. 

"Weird."

* * *

The Nightosphere was undoubtly very terrifying, especially to the Candy prince what with his weak stomach. But he kept telling himself that anything out there as he walked through fire practically, wasn't as scary as The Abadeers. As he made it to their residence without his sugary skin bubbling, he took a deep breath and knocked ever so slightly on the chipping blue door. He rocked back on his heels, waiting patiently. 

Suddenly, the door flew open, and there stood- well hovered, a boy no older than 19. His skin was a pale grey-blue, almost glowing. It contrasted well with his turquoise orbs and wet raven locks that draped ever so slightly over pointed ears.

Water droplets dripped off his nose and onto the scowl plastered across his face. Barnaby shook himself out of his trance and realized he was probably waiting for the prince to announce himself. "Uh..I'm here to see Ms. Hanna Abadeer."

"Oh, you're one of _them_." The boy turned around gracefully afloat, and it was only then that Gumball realized he was naught but in a pair of ashen boxers. "Gross, ma. I didn't know you were into twinks! Blegh."

Gumball frowned. What was a twink? And did he think he wanted to  _see_ Ms. Abadeer? Oh glob.

"I'm not  _you,_ Marsh." She coughed, hiding her slip of the tongue from the oblivious sugar boy. "Ah, Prince Gumball. It's a pleasure to make your aquaintence finally. Please, come inside. I'm sure I have papers to sign?"

He entered the house, passing the still scowling teen.  _Who was he? And why couldn't he be decent infront of such royalty?!_ But as soon as the thought arose, he was gone.

* * *

 

_  
_Hanna sat down in a blindingly bright white chair, crossing her legs promptly. He took the seat across from her, in a chair almost identical, only red. "You'll have to excuse the furniture. Marshall got a little hungry."

Pushing his curiousity on exactly who this 'Marshall' was, back down into the crevices of his mind, he took the parchments out of his bag. "Here you are. But if you don't mind Ms. Abadeer-"

"Call me Hanna."

He smiled nervously as she took the paper and skimmed through it quickly. Finding everything in order, she swiftly signed her elegant script along the dotted line. "..Hanna, I would like to meet your daughter before we bring her back to the castle."

The air quickly became so thick you could slice through it. "Daughter?" Her lips pursed.

"Yes, the one I'm supposed to be marrying."

"Oh! Dear, there seems to be a misunderstanding." Down the stairs came the older boy again, wearing tight navy jeans and a red plaid button up.

"You see, Marshall is the one you'll be marrying." She gestured towards the floating teen.

Their eyes locked instantly.

"WHAT?!"


	2. You're Making a Fuss out of Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marshall is one unhappy camper. Gumball just wants some peace. But fire and ice don't often mix.

The elder boy- Marshall, he reminded himself- was fuming. He had been for the past five minutes while his mother just sat there idly sipping a cup of tea. Every now and again he would pause and she'd scoff at his words. Gumball sat there, awkward and introverted, waiting for the raging to be over. He was beginning to get a rather large headache and he silently prayed to just go home and pretend this never occurred. Finally at a loss of words, the vampire heir looked at his mother for some kind of rebuttal.

“Are you done?”

His face twisted into a childish pout, his rose colored bottom lip sticking out promptly. “..yeah.”

“I'm glad. Now,” She grabbed his ear, pulling him in close to her stern face. “You **will** marry this nice boy here. I believe in our legacy as ruthless _rulers_ , so if you refuse to take over for me, you need to keep royal blood, so to speak.” Her voice lowered. “It's what your father would have wanted.”

The teen's eyes glistened, and Gumball's heart softened at the sight. But it faded quickly as he glowered and stormed towards the prince. He grabbed his hand.

“Let's go, Gumwad.”

* * *

 

After being retrieved by a royal coach, the soon to be newlyweds road back to the castle in silence. Occasionally one of them would make glances at the other, but that was really all. Barnaby didn't think he could handle it if this was to be the rest of their marriag- Gah. What? Why would he care if they didn't talk? It's not like this would ever become more than a business arrangement. Marshall was a boy for glob's sake.

Wait a minute..

_Damn it, Fionna._

* * *

 

As soon as the carriage came to a stop, Marshall bolted. “See ya, your hiney-ness.” He then proceeded to float off in the direction of Fionna's residence, his scary weapon/instrument slung across his back and a black umbrella in hand. Gumball sighed, very put off by the vampire. As he climbed out and made it towards the steps of the castle, Peppermint Maid ran out the doors. “Your majesty, I do hope that miscreant that just left isn't a friend of your wife to be.” She looked at him, appearing slightly frightened.

He sighed. “Unfortunately, Peppermint, that um..well, _miscreant-_ is my uh, _blushing bride.”_

The hard candy's expression became that of astonishment. “There, well there must be a mistake sire. Your council..they said-”

“..that I would marry Ms. Abadeer's only heir.”

“Oh glob.” A hand flew over her heart. “May he save us all.”

* * *

 

Marshall Lee flew into Fionna's house unannounced. Her and Cake were playing Beemo, jumping as he floated in front of them. “What the crud, Marsh! You scared us. And that's not easy to do..”

“Sorry Fi, but..you'll never _GUESS_ what just happened to me!”

“You're getting married?” She offered.

“Yeah! Like what? And-”

“They're a prince.”

“Mhm, and you won't believe it. It's-”

“Prince Gumball.”

“Okay..Fionna..you're scaring _me_ now.” Marshall said, no longer levitating. His tattered converse rubbed the wood floor shyly. “How'd you know?”

She smiled weakly. “PG's my friend. He told me about it this morning.”

He growled. “He knew?!” He muttered expletive after expletive under his breath. “Why didn't he call it off then?”

“Oh..well, he kinda believed you were a girl. Heh..”

Marshall was silent for awhile. Fionna looked to his face for any sign of emotion, but there was none.

“You..you knew FiFi. And you didn't fucking _**tell me?!”**_

“Well..the nightosphere is pretty far..and flame prince wanted-”

“You left your best friend to marry a conceited stick of bubblegum, while you go play kissy kissy with your boyfriend? Ugh, way to go man.” He flew out.

Fionna sighed. Cake rubbed her arm reassuringly. “Well..that went well, huh?”

* * *

 

“Finally! I tried to hold the staff off for as long as I could. I didn't know when you'd be back for dinner time. It was awfully rude to run out on me like that..” Gumball rambled on as the vampire slipped through the palace doorway. When he reached the table, he found a bowl of mixed red berries. Blushing slightly, he met the prince's eyes. “How'd ya know I eat red?”

“Your mother told me. She gave me a list of things I should know.”

Marshall frowned. It made him seem like a pet the royal was watching while his mother was on vacation. How typical of her. She couldn't even let him handle his own love life- uh, business affairs. After shaking that thought away, he bit into one of the raspberries. It was delicious, and that made him smile slightly. Whoever had picked them obviously was very meticulous about such things..

His eyes flashed back to the prince, checking him over. His eyes were a light lavender, and his teeth were as straight as an arrow. He had this way of carrying himself, even doing something as casual as eating, that was rigid and stiff. Marshall wondered if it was a side effect of his royalty, or if he was an all around cold person. Sure, that's what he'd always thought when he heard of him and his dumb sugar balls or hootenanny's or whatever, but..

It all seemed different when he was right in front of him. He was shiny, or at least his hair was, under the sunshine lights within the dining hall. He was an iridescent pink, with long butterfly lashes and a smooth chin. His femininity seemed to contrast well with the vampire. For here he was, with his unruly dark black waves, and even darker eyes rimmed with crimson that ran up and down the prince's form. His pale face and strong nose with a defined chin said that of the epitome of male.

Well, scratch the hair.

Blinking, the King looked away, realizing he had been checking the other royal out. Prince Gumball, completely unaware, went on eating his baked flounder. He wondered though, if the king was enjoying his meal he had prepared for him. But glancing up would mean meeting the gray male's eyes, and that..most certainly, was out of the question.

* * *

 

Later that evening, the pink man and his soon to be husband walked around the castle, the younger giving a tour. To be honest, Marshall was only half listening, the other half of him watching the prince become so animated over his palace.

It was odd, seeing someone so excited about their home. The vampire only tolerated living with his mother, and the tree house before Fionna came along never had him jumping for joy.

He was more of a keep moving, kind of guy, never staying in one place for too long.

So now that he was practically forced to settle down, it wouldn't be easy adjusting. Not to mention, the place _reeked_ of sweets. Granted, it was a _candy_ castle, but nonetheless, it bothered him greatly.

But he put up with it as the passed room after room, stopping every so often for a _lively_ chat about the history of frosting or gumdrops or _something._ He began floating, for the fear of his legs developing ADHD from the boring atmosphere and running away came to mind.

Gumball paused his speech for a moment, eyes on the upside down lad. “Why do you walk, Marshall?” He asked out of the blue. Marshall's face twisted slightly in confusion.

“Huh?”

“I just meant, if you can float, why walk?”

 _oh._ “Well..” He debated on whether or not to give a truthful answer. “It..it makes me still..sort of retain my once mortal self, I guess.” He almost whispered, feeling suddenly very vulnerable. He hated that, the fact that certain people could see right through him. His mother, Fionna, and now..it seems, the prince. He floated right side up, rubbing his arm and smirking to mask his emotion. “Anyway, isn't it getting late, Gum-for-brains?” He felt a tad bad for the insult, but it always empowered him and masked the hurt a lot better than nicety.

Barnaby frowned. “Yes, I suppose it is.”

After readying for bed, the Prince trudged over to the couch now living in his remodeled quarters, blanket in hand. “You may sleep on my bed, Marshall Lee. I will take the couch.” He patted it, grinning, although he was dreading the kinks his necks would probably receive by morning.

The Vampire King eyed him skeptically. “Nah, it's fine, man. I'll sleep there.”

“Really it's OK-”

“I'm fine dude. I've slept on couches before.”

“You're a guest.” The prince was beginning to become miffed. He laid his blanket down.

“So?”

“So..I insist.” He gestured towards the king sized bed.

Marshall glowered. “Well _insist_ somewhere else, _Barnaby.”_ He spat.

Gumball huffed and stomped towards his bed, climbing in and turning his back on the king. On the other side of the room Marshall did the same thing, pulling the blanket tightly around his pale body, despite not feeling cold. “Pompous ass.” He muttered.

A cotton candy pillow whacked him upside the head.

_This was going to be a long night.._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case any are confused about Marshall's eyes:  
> In the first chapter I described them as turquoise.  
> But in the second they are black and crimson.  
> I was trying to show the two sides of Marshall: Average every day, and demon Marshall.
> 
> Just in case you thought there was an inconsistency.


	3. Softening Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sentiment is a chemical defect found in the losing side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to make this chapter longer, but as I was writing it and reading it over, I like it the way it turned out. So deal with the short chapter. Enjoy!

Upon waking, Marshall became aware of three things. One, he wasn't home. Two, after rubbing his chin, he realized he was due for a good shave. And three of course, every. little. thing. was. PINK.

Strutting out of the bathroom came the Prince of Aaa, smiling brightly with those stupid pearly whites of his.  _I could flash mine too, buster,_ he thought, everything coming back to him at once. This in turn made him groan in agony. If last night was as bad as he remembered, why was the prince so happy? 

"Good Morning Marshall Lee!" He stated, his irritating button nose sticking into the vampire's face. 

Grumbling, the elder pulled the pillow over his face. "Go away."

The younger pouted. "I can't. It's time for breakfast and I'm sure you're hungry. But if you're going to be so hostile, I could just leave you to fend for yourself."

His ears perked.  _Breakfast?_  He peeked out from under the cushion, looking quite odd to the other royal. His hair stuck out at all angles and one blue eye bore up at him. "I..well I suppose I could use a little somethin'." His stomach growled in reply, so he let out a small chuckle. "Okay, maybe a lotta somethin'."

Gumball held in a giggle. He had to admit, in this moment Marshall was..adorable. After tucking that thought away, he grabbed the other's pale hand. "To the dining hall."

* * *

Lee was starting to believe it was to become a habit of his, reading the Prince like a map as they ate. Today he noticed that his eyes crinkle when he dislikes something, and that he brushes with spearmint toothpaste. If he sniffs hard enough, he might just find a trace of it left under the mask of cranberry oatmeal. Mentally noting that Gumball was nearly finished with his bowl, the vampire looked down to devour his. Fortunately, the cook threw in a ridiculous amount of the fruit within his dish, which hid the awful clump of earthy poison. After draining the deep rose from their crevices, he slid the bowl away with a sliver of hope that the royal would forgive his awful etiquette. Human food didn't really agree with him. At least.. in this case.

Barnaby looked up from his meal, catching eyes with the gray-blue male. He immediately flushed, glancing away. 

"So..what do you do for fun around 'ere?" Marshall Lee said after awhile, breaking their awkward silence.

"Well..sometimes I go for walks around the castle, or I fiddle around in my laboratory-"

_"..boring.."_

"-Or I visit my library. But, if I ever have a break, I reside in my music room to practice piano-"

"Whoa whoa whoa. YOU have a  _music room?!"_

The prince snorted. "I am skilled in many arts, Marshall Lee." He took a deep breath, calculating his words carefully. "We have to go over simple wedding negotiations today. I promise it's nothing too strenuous. After all, it won't be a huge celebration. Just some legal matters to attend to, but.." He bit his lip. The vampire nodded, urging him to go on. "Maybe..sometime we could, perhaps, play in there for awhile. As long as it is run past my advisers first that we are not to be interrupted."

"Oh Gum-Gum, you cheeky thing."

* * *

Marshall Lee Abadeer had never been more bored in his entire lifetime. Listening to a bunch of stuffy old sourpusses was not high on his list of a good time. They droned on an on about how  _oh, Marshall you mustn't do this!_ and _Bloodsucker, you most definitely better not do this!_ He was a thousand year old vampire for Glob's sake, not a child!

A warm pink hand rested on his shoulder, bringing him out of his tirade within his mind. He glanced over at the younger, suprised at the gesture. In that moment, he could feel Gumball's heartbeat thumping erraticly despite his calm structure and his firm grasp. _It must not be easy for the prince to give up his life for his kingdom._ It made Marshall almost feel..bad. Because of his royal blood, he was giving up a chance at happiness. All for stuck up, narcissistic pricks.

But, he supposed he was doing the same thing.

* * *

Later on when all was said and done, the two boys wanted nothing more than to retire to their bedroom. It was exhausting having to keep up appearances. But Marshall was simply being selfish. Barnaby went through this every day for eighteen years. The vampire would just have to suck it up and get used to it.

"Marshall Lee, come here at once!"

_Shit, what'd I do now?_

When he entered the bathroom, or  _powder room_ as Gumball refered to it as, he was met with an overwhelming waft of cinnamon. "W-what's this?" He asked, pointing lamely towards the bubbling bath water.

The prince grinned. "Peppermint Maid put on a bath for you. I always like to sink into one of these after a hard day. It's quite relaxing." He handed the elder a crisp towel, promptly leaving the room.

Turning as red as a tomato, Marshall shut the door to begin stripping. The thought of getting naked while the other was in earshot felt awkward, but he'd have to deal with it, he supposed.

Dropping his boxers to the floor, he entered the walk in bath. It was incredibly warm and inviting, so he sunk in all the way to his nose. Feeling a bit playful, he blew a few of the bubbles around.  _Man, this is nice. How long has it been since I've had a nice wash?_

Grabbing one of the slightly less feminine smelling shampoos, he opened and dumped it upon his kinky waves. After rubbing it in and sinking below the water several times, he decided to just sit for awhile.

Leaning his head back, he let his mind travel to simpler times. Like when he was a much younger vampire, and he had gotten lost. Now, that doesn't sound like a thrilling adventure, does it? But, the plus side was he was far from his mother, and he just so happened to stumble upon a strawberry field.

He remembered his eyes lit like christmas trees. He had struck gold!

Unfortunately, all good things do come to an end. His mother eventually found him, and he was given a harsh scolding. His father was already dead by then, so there was no one to slow his mother's reign.

 _Well, that killed the mood,_ he thought sourly. He rose and floated out, wrapping the towel around his waist. Sighing, he realized his clothes were in the other room. So he flew quickly from the bathroom to the closet, hoping Gumball wouldn't lecture him on indecency. His dirty clothes were soon forgotten on the tile floor.

 Once dressed, Marshall floated back into the bedroom, looking around for the prince. His confused expression soon turned to one of awe as he found the ruler sprawled across the Vampire's 'bed'. He picked him up carefully, as not to wake him, and carried him to his bed. Laying him down and covering him with his quilts, he felt satisfied.

He headed back over to his designated sleeping area, flopping on the cushions lazily.  _Maybe tonight I'll actually get some sleep._

As if Glob himself read Marshall Lee's thoughts, Barnaby let out a large snore.

_Ugh._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marshall is a thousand year old vampire badass that is totally NOT starting to like Gummy after two days..
> 
> "Yeah, right."
> 
> "Who asked you Barnaby?"
> 
> "HEY GUYS I'M THE AUTHOR HERE."
> 
> -grabs keyboard as Marshall and Gumball flee into the sunset.-


	4. Nervous Nelly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vampires have the tendency to...overreact.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this has taken so long everyone! I have been writing though. Just not..this chapter. I wrote the end chapter, some of the middle etc. I know where this story is going and what I want included, it's just not necessarily all written yet. But thanks for sticking with me and enjoying the story! Also, I tweaked Gumball's mother's quote, but I do not own it. This chapter is going to be shorter, I apologize in advance. Also, I really did not intend for them to be so harsh towards each other, but I felt no way around it.

Marshall Lee was nervous.

Not often did this happen, but as of late, he was on the verge of freaking out.

The wedding was in a week and a half, and the vampire already felt as if he could throw up. He wasn't ready, and it wasn't helping that Prince I'm-A-Twat didn't seem phased in the slightest. In fact, he walked the halls proudly, humming to himself and looking rather more dashing than usual, not that the vampire would admit this.

Gumball didn't even seem to notice until he found the nineteen year old, bug-eyed and bashful, rocking back and forth on the bathroom floor.

"Marshall? Marshall, are you alright?!" He exclaimed, kneeling to try and aid him up. 

"Marriage changes you, Gumball." He whispered, staring blankly at the wall past the prince's head. "I won't be a bachelor anymore. I won't get dates. I WON'T BE SEXY ANYMORE."

Barnaby snorted. "You weren't particularly sexy to begin with."

Lee turned to give him a glare. "The same could be said about you, pinky."

"Hey! This isn't about me."

"You're right, it isn't. So why are you here?"

The bubblegum male pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to refrain for going for the elder's throat.  _Remember what Mother always said. 'Never respond to an angry person with a fiery comeback, even if they deserves it...Don't allow their anger to become your anger.'_

"I'm here to make sure you were okay. Despite what you may think, I am not the enemy here."

"Heh."

"I thought we were actually getting somewhere. The past few weeks have been..nice. Arguing was minimal, and we seemed to have a good time. I'd even stretch as far to say we're becoming friends."

Visions of a bass mixing beautifully with a molten voice came to mind.

Marshall's eyes melted into scarlet, piercing into Barnaby's bones and causing his skin to prickle. 

"You think I'd actually like  _you?_ An effeminate royal with a stick up his ass? A baker overly obsessed with pink? Well, hate to break it to you, but that's nowhere close to happening. Alright? I don't need anyone. Most certainly not  _you._ Now leave me the hell alone." The words just kept coming, dripping off his tongue like poison. It made his stomach churn as he realized what just came out.

Prince Gumball's lip quivered, and his hands shoke, almost unnoticible. But Marshall was a vampire, and not incredibly stupid. He knew that stance. It was the same he used when his mother would go off on him. It was a second skin made of fake confidence. The Vampire King decided the other wore it well.

"Bubs..I..I didn't mean it. I mean..I’m just stressed and not used to people..caring.."

The younger's Adam’s apple bobbed unsteadily, and his eyes began to shine. But the mask was still there. "You don't think I'm stressed?" He whispered, his voice already sounding horse. 

"I.."

"I'm starting to think this was a bad decision. If it wasn't for the best interest of my people I’d never decide to marry a heartless bastard like you!"

The both of them froze. They had gone too far, they knew it. It was beginning to become a crying competition. Marshall had never cried in front of anyone but his father, so it felt quite embarrassing. Although the feeling soon went away as Barnaby's arms wrapped around him.

"I..my parents are dead." He let out, sounding rather lame and out of place considering what they were talking about. "So I know how it feels to be lonely..how it feels to want to make them proud."

Smart boy, Marshall Lee thought to himself, realizing the younger had deduced the reason as to why he agreed to this.

"But, I won't judge you if you want to back out. I mean, who would want to be stuck with me for the rest of their life?" Marshall's shirt started to darken with dampness.

The vampire bit his cheek as a thought popped into his head, unwarranted.  _Perhaps..me?_

* * *

After that heated argument, Gumball began ignoring him. He didn't blame him, he did royally screw things up. But all of that did nothing to calm Marshall's nerves, which were increasing by the second. He stopped floating on account of he might freeze up and possibly hurt himself.

Now while Marshall was falling apart from the outside in, the prince could keep it slightly more controlled. He had been nervous from the start about marrying the boy, but now he was on the verges of tears anytime his name came up. Granted his words stung a lot, but he knew the vampire was only acting out of fear of getting close. He was just upset now that he was so  _awful_  right back at him. He could tell the pale skinned male was hurt over what had happened, but he couldn't bring himself to speak to the other yet.

So to take his mind off of everything, he invited Fionna over.  The adventuress always managed to make the prince smiled with her witty charm, and bubbly behavior.

* * *

"What the lumping cabbage is wrong with you, PG?" She yelled, whopping him in the shoulder with her fist. 

"Ow! And such language Fionna!" He rubbed his now sore shoulder. "But what did I do?"

"Marshall's all down in the dumps. Says it's nothing, but he may of let it slipped that you two fought."

PG sighed. "It started with this whole wedding business.." He slumped down into one of the palace chairs, his clothes probably earning wrinkles for days. "He just..flipped. He wouldn't talk..he wouldn't eat. I tried to keep appearances for him, but to be honest it was tearing me apart. I barely know the guy and I'm marrying him..Granted he's kind of funny..and alright when he wants to be but.." He trailed off.

Fionna waited for him to go on.

"I don't know what I should do. It was awful. You should've seen him..A face like his shouldn't look so..sad."

Suddenly, the blonde girl's face lit up with a Cheshire grin. She rubbed her hands together deviously. 

"I know what you should definitely do!" 

Barnaby hid his face in his hands, groaning. "Oh, I don't like the sound of that!"

* * *

**3 Weeks Later**

  
  


_  
_Knocking on the bedroom door, Barnaby called out to Marshall. "Are you-Are you decent, Marshall Lee?"

The vampire walked towards the door and pulled it open, staring at the figure behind it. "This is our room now, you don't have to knock." He said, avoiding the question. _Now..now that we're married._  "Now, I presume you came here to ask me something."

"Perhaps I simply came to fetch something."

"Cut the royal lingo and tell me what you want."

"You're very perceptive."

"Vampire intuition." He tapped his head, a sarcastic smirk on his face. "Now what could Mr. High and Mighty possibly want with me? Perhaps to engage in a fabulous discussion on which leather seats should be displayed during the next ball? Or, maybe the new color of the hallways? Am I getting warmer? Am I-"

"Go on a date with me, Marshall Lee."

  
  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MUHAHAHAHA.
> 
> Do not fret, I am not skipping the wedding. ;) BUT YOU DONT GET IT JUST YET HAHA.  
> Next chapter will be a filler, involving the few weeks before their argument, and afterwards. One big flashback :)


	5. Author's Note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just want to clear some things up before I update (Which I am doing this weekend actually...for real I promise) I hope y'all are still interested in my story.

Hello everyone,

First of all, I'd like to state that I'm terribly sorry for my absence. I was in a happy relationship and then I was dragged through the mud and simply couldn't focus on anything else. But, enough about the past, I am back now!

 

So I've done some rereading of my story thus far and realized some of you may not understand some of the situations I've put the characters in. Despite not being an AU, as they are still in Aaa, I have changed their backgrounds a bit. So this is me clearing everything up, INSTEAD of re-writing the story which would not only delay me from updating, but also take a lot of time. I'll just write better chapters this time around.

 

  1. In this story, Marshall Lee is not the Vampire King. Well, he is the self-proclaimed Vampire King but he is not *technically* a ruler. That's why in the beginning of the story, his mother says he needs to "keep royal blood" since he won't take her place as ruler of the Nightosphere.
  2. She also states it's "what [his] father would have wanted" as a way of getting him to comply because, as we know from Marceline's background, his father died when he was young, so he does not know whether or not he actually would want him to do this, so he goes along with it.
  3. Prince Gumball and Marshall have no previous history.
  4. Marshall only knows Gumball through what he's heard on his visits to Aaa.
  5. He previously lived in the treehouse where Fionna and Cake currently reside, but as we know, they got it back.
  6. Once Fionna and Cake are back in the treehouse, Marshall moves back in with his mother (much to his dismay) as he has nowhere else to stay.
  7. Prince Gumball and Marshall have never met in person before this story. That is why neither of them recognize each other (despite Marshall knowing of Bubba)



pretty sure that is it, if anyone has any questions not answered her, messsage me and I will answer.

 

With Love,

Jimfinitemoriarty

 


	6. Maybe this could be..

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marshall doesn't know what to make of Gumball anymore. One thing he can say about the guy is that he's..full of surprises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is later than I said I would post but school and is work got in the way. This is a short chapter, but I hope it's a good one :)

“Um..w-what?” Marshall exclaimed.

The younger sighed. “I _said_ 'Do not bait me, Marshall Lee.”

The pale boy let out a shaky breath. “Oh, right.” He was simply hearing what he wanted to hear, well..

“I did not come here to fight. I came to fetch you. I have something very important to show you, so if you could please...Put on some pants.”

Looking down and flushing instantly, the vampire rushed to throw on some jeans.

“So what is it you wanted to show me?” Marshall asked, less harsh now that he was over being caught so..indecent, by his sort of husband.

 _Ugh._ Husband. That was a thing now.

“It's a suprise. Close your eyes.”

He huffed, crossing his arms in defiance. About to tell the other off, Barnaby swiftly covered the shorter man's eyes, causing him to call out.

“Oh stop being a baby. It'll be easier to get there on foot, but I don't want you to ruin your own surprise. Just trust me.”

Lee sighed dramatically. “ _Fine._ But if you're leading me to my own death, you're going to need someone stronger than yourself.” He stated, pushing the bubblegum king away for a moment, just to prove his point.

Barnaby kept trucking along, leading his..friend? alongside him.

After heading along a mile longer, they suddenly stopped.

“Alright. I'm going to uncover your eyes now.”

Marshall didn't know what he expected. A fruitcake, a one way ticket out of Aaa, he didn't know. But it certainly wasn't this.

Lying in front of him was a large strawberry field he had long forgotten. It seemed different from the pained memories from before. He had visited one last time a couple hundred years back, before Barnaby was even _thought_ of, and the whole area was barren. Now, spread out for several miles were fresh, bright, and most importantly, _red_ strawberry plants. In a small area about two feet from where they were standing, was a blanket between the rows, and a bottle of Merlot. Marshall Lee turned to look at the other King, a whole new light in his eyes.

* * *

 

“So, when did you start playing piano?” the vampire asked, the nicest question he's asked all night.

“Right after my parents died.” Marshall shifted uncomfortably in his chair beside the him, but the prince continued. “Peppermint Maid went asking around the castle, seeing if the staff knew of a way to distract me from their death. They eventually came up with the idea of teaching me.”

The elder opened his mouth to apologize, but the other waved him off knowingly. “A private instructor came in every day at three o'clock, and by the time I was 13, I could play as well as that, well..that composer from before the war. What was his name? Moza? Motzar? Mo-”

“Mozart. And yeah, he was pretty.. cool.”

“Pretty cool indeed.” Barnaby agreed, smiling brightly. “It didn't feel like it at first, but it really helped. Putting my emotions into words and letting them out..I am forever thankful to my people, to my staff.”

Moving to sit on the piano bench with him, Lee slowly put a hand on the prince's shoulder.

“I know what you mean. Music,..music saved me.”

Letting silence speak for itself, they sat there for what felt like hours, just reveling in their newfound friendship.

After a bit, the bubblegum ruler asked if he could hear his new friend play a song. He had never seen an instrument quite like Marshall's before, and he wondered how it sounded.

And when the vampire played, as roguish as the lyrics were, Gumball felt as if he had never heard a thing more beautiful.

* * *

 

Gumball had never felt a thing more beautiful as when Marshall Lee had kissed him. It had been a long time since anyone really felt like kissing him, and boy, was it worth the wait. 

As Marshall pulled away, he noticed Barnaby's redder than usually cheeks. 

"what..um, well, uh, I think, maybe..well that was.."

"Thank you, Bubba." Was all the vampire said.

Barnaby, not wanting to bother the older man any longer with his babble, he decided to step back. 

Marshall Lee immediately settled in to his set up, as happy as a clam. Well, if they weren't extinct. Anyway..

 As soon as the former prince of Aaa was out of sight, Gumball ran to the only one he felt he could talk about this to. He hoped she was home.

* * *

 

"He did what?" The blonde adventuress asked, slightly curious. Cake was laying on the floor, practically drooling in anticipation. This was better than the little juicy details Fionna brought home on her dates.

"He kissed me. Like, he KISSED me Fionna. Me. As in..well, you know.. Myself.." He looked down, feeling very awkward. He had never really had even a crush before, let alone telling stories about it. He didn't even know his own feelings for Marshall.

"So I'm guessing you did what I told you then?"

Cake looked back and forth between them, confused.

"Yes, I did. I took him to the fields earlier and he seemed so- wait, how did you know this would happen?"

She smiled shyly. "Well, I didn't think he'd make a move on the first date but hey, who am I kidding. This is Marshall we're talking about."

"First date?"

Fionna stared at Gumball. "Yeah..? You did have a good time right?"

The pink ruler dropped his face in his hands. "Well..I think..he did."

 

 


	7. Not an Update

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please don't be upset! I love you guys and I AM going to update.

Sorry everyone. Many things have happened since I started this story, and well it's hard to keep up. But, even though I am updating, the story is changing slightly. I know I said I would not but I AM editing and revising all chapters after chapter two (or 3, but not further). I unfortunately felt like I had to keep updating even if I wasn't really happy with the work because I wanted you guys to keep reading. However, I now realize my writing really suffered and I would hope you guys feel similar in that I'd rather you wait for something really strong and well written than something sloppy. Don't worry, this has a similar storyline overall. It's also more difficult because around the same time I wrote the first two chapters (which I'm actually still happy with for the most part) I also wrote some of the later/ending chapters, so it now means I have to connect the dots. I would change the ending but it's just something I can't shake. I promise you this will be worth it! I have most of the week off, so while I'm cooped up with my AC because of the record breaking heat, you can expect some progress (whether I actually get anything posted is neither here nor there) but I can promise you, I have made a law by which I must follow, that I will post atleast one chapter a month. Please stick by me and continue to enjoy 'The Arrangement', because I know no matter what happens, I will.

-Jimfinitemoriarty


	8. story is being continued!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> updating the revised chapter as we speak!

sorry it took years! but im going to try and update again :)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is jimfinitemoriarty, the very same from fanfiction.net. I really hope you like this story. I don't think I've ever read one like this so far, so yay. My idea is completely original :D Enjoy.


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